


Calling Home By Your Name

by Myrime



Series: Homeward Bound [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bots as Tony's Children, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Protective Natasha Romanov, Relationship(s), Shovel Talk, Wedding, coming home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 18:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17309945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myrime/pseuds/Myrime
Summary: “Oh, is this the shovel talk? How exciting.” Tony grins completely unconcerned. “I never had one before.”In turn, Natasha's lips pull into just the hint of a sneer. “Which is probably due to you not doing relationships.”As if on command, they both turn to look at Bucky. "I didn't," Tony says, "until now."





	Calling Home By Your Name

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, here is a short sequel to Someone To Bring Me Home. I don't know what's up with me writing so much fluff lately, but I don't exactly regret it.  
> Enjoy!

They get four months of peace. Four months of lazy mornings and coffee in bed. Four months of playing tag with the bots in the basement. Four months of working together in the shop while answering the townsfolk’s knowing smiles with happy ones of their own.

They get to know each other in that time, playing an endless game of twenty questions while Bucky works on his bike and Tony builds new marvels. The couch upstairs shows both their shapes even when they do not sit there.

Early on, Tony apologized profusely because he allegedly does not know how to live with someone. Selfishness was mentioned, and an unbearable personality. By now, though, Bucky thinks they have grown used to having each other around, and Tony would not want to miss him anymore. Neither can imagine anything better than to wake up next to someone whose smile matches one’s own – and, or so Tony admitted shamelessly, someone who is so easily bullied into bringing him coffee before he has to stick even one foot out of bed.

For four months, they live in their own world, by their own rules. Each time the phone rings they answer Steve or Rhodey or Pepper with reassurances without giving a reason why they suddenly sound so much happier, wanting to keep this for themselves as long as they can, because reality has a way of shifting things and they are content with where they are for now. When Bucky’s phone rings ahead of schedule, though, they know that things will change.

They are on the couch together, Bucky’s arm is around Tony with Dum-E chattering nervously in front of them, his arm in Tony’s lap while Tony tries to figure out how he managed to jam it. Turns out that fire extinguisher foam is not that good for robot joints if used too often.

Dum-E is the first to complain when the ringing starts, while Tony and Bucky merely look at each other.

“Steve is two days early,” Tony comments cautiously. It is mostly ever only Steve who calls. Sometimes Clint or Natasha too, on one memorable occasion even Peggy, but Steve is Bucky’s Rhodey, so it is natural to suppose it is him.

A hundred reasons flit through Bucky’s mind, few of them harmless. Over the past months, he had been able to curb Steve’s worry to the point where they managed to have almost normal conversations again, not always tinged with hints of abandonment and badly veiled pleas to come back. Well, Bucky has begun _allowing_ normal conversations again, following Tony’s advice to not push Steve away on the off-chance that their friendship will never be the same as before. It already is not, of course, but it is still strong, still honest.

“You should get it,” Tony interrupts Bucky’s racing thoughts, making him realize that he sits all but frozen next to Tony.

“Give me a kiss?” Bucky asks, and does not add _for good luck_. They do not need reasons anymore.

Tony rolls his eyes good-naturedly but leans in immediately. Sadly, he does not linger, leaving Bucky no choice but to reach out for the phone sitting at the edge of the sofa table. Steve’s picture looks up at him from the screen, eyes bright and lips twisted in a way that says he is going to get them all into trouble. It is Bucky’s favourite look of his best friend, predating all the difficult days of adulthood.

“Stevie,” Bucky says upon picking up, thus setting the tone for the call. He has noticed early on that the gruffer he greets his friends the shorter they will talk. That might be due to Steve giving him space, or that he simply does not know how to make him better. If he greets him like _before_ , though, it is almost as if all the bad things never happened and they are still best friends without restrictions.

“Hey, Buck.” Steve sounds relieved, either that Bucky picked up at all or that he is not miffed about this unscheduled call.

Reading his face right, Tony snuggles deeper into Bucky’s embrace in a show of comfort, and Bucky squeezes his shoulder in return. He wonders what his friends would say, seeing him like this, whether they would finally stop worrying so much.

“Is everyone all right?” He does not even think before asking that questions. Truth be told, lately it was mostly him having problems, but all of them are struggling in their own way, and while Bucky has withdrawn from their support system when he left to heal himself does not mean that he is impervious to his friends’ well-being.

“Yes, yes,” Steve reassures him quickly, although there is still something off in his tone. “I mean – yes.” Something is nagging at his best friend.

This is when Bucky realizes just how long he has been gone, for he cannot even begin to guess what it is. He has no idea about the ups and downs of Steve’s average day, about his current wishes and fears and goals.

“Spit it out, punk,” Bucky teases with emphasized lightness, wondering whether he even has the right to do that anymore. Steve has called him, though, which implies the willingness to talk.

“I asked Peggy to marry me,” Steve rushes to say after only a short moment of hesitation, sounding dizzy and excited and terrified in equal measure.

A flash of hurt hits Bucky as he realizes that Steve did not tell him immediately after the fact, did not tell him _before_. Once upon a time there were no secrets between them, and one of them planning to ask their girlfriend to marry them is certainly something they would have shared. Immediately, though, Bucky feels like a hypocrite, sitting here with an arm around his boyfriend who no one knows about yet. When Bucky left, he perhaps gave up the right to be informed of Steve’s every move.

“You are getting married?” Bucky repeats utterly baffled. He should have seen that coming, and that only reminds him of how long he was gone.

Tony looks up from Dum-E’s arm and smiles encouragingly. There is also something else hiding in his expression but Bucky has no chance to decipher it, not while he is still reeling from Steve’s news.

“Well, yes. We thought it’s time,” Steve tries to explain, although there is no explanation needed. Bucky remembers how Peggy and Steve had orbited around each other, constantly drawing each other close. “We know what we want – and I _love_ her.”

Steve’s voice sounds so deferential that Bucky wishes for the first time in forever that he would be back in New York, if only to embrace his best friend, clap his back and tell him _well done_.

It also makes him realize one other thing: his time of hiding is over. First off, he has found what he was looking for when he left New York. He is not drifting helplessly through that dark place in his own mind anymore. Second, there is no way he can let Steve get married without him. His best friend and brother is off to building his own family, Bucky can barely believe it. Somehow that is more a sign of them growing up than surviving the war ever was.

“I don’t even have a suit anymore,” Bucky blurts, already lost in the process of making plans of how to get back, how to behave, how to simply deal with this situation.

Tony glances up at him, rolling his eyes but wearing an encouraging smile. _Don’t worry_ , hangs between them. _We’ll figure this out_.

But Bucky is not sure they can. He needs to return to New York, if only for the wedding, but there he will have to lie to his friends why he is going to leave them again. All the while, Tony will stay here alone. He might either think that Bucky abandoned him, or realize how nice it was to have his house and workshop all to himself.

Unless, of course, Tony wants to accompany him – which Bucky does not even dare to hope for in case he jinxes his chances. How can he ask for that? This comes out of the blue, so he can hardly expect Tony to be all right with going back to New York just because he wants to be there when his best friend gets married.

Some of his panic must have shown on his face, for Tony nudges him, wearing a frown himself. He points at the phone in a decisive manner, then mouths _We’ll talk later_. Which cannot bode well for Bucky, but he does as he is told. He owes Steve to at least listen him out before he panics.

“So, you’re coming?” Steve asks quietly, almost as if he is afraid to say the words.

Well, Bucky figures, he is not the only one unsure how to ask for the things he wants, then. “Of course, I’m coming,” he says, trying to sound as reassuring as he can. He resolutely avoids looking at Tony to avoid seeing his reaction, be it disapproval or not. “It’s your wedding.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure,” Steve says, already sounding apologetic, “and I didn’t want to pressure you.”

Guilt spreads through Bucky, leaving burning trails like claws. He does not regret leaving, could not, considering who he found, but he never wanted his best friend to doubt their friendship, never wanted to give the impression that he was running away just for the sake of being gone.

“Stevie, it’s –” Bucky trails off, rejecting all the useless phrases of apology and reassurance jumping to his mind. Finally, he settles on a simple, “I’m sorry.”

That is not enough. For a time, he resented Steve for trying to help him, ran away just to escape his mothering. Steve might actually understand his reasoning, but that does not make it okay.

“Don’t be,” Steve unsurprisingly says, although it is obvious he does not completely trust Bucky’s sudden complacency. “It’ll be good to see you again. I’m sure you have some interesting stories to tell.”

Bucky looks to the side, where Dum-E is currently wriggling his arm to escape Tony’s screwdriver, while U is recording how Butterfingers is smashing their latest set of dishes in the kitchen, and hums in agreement. “One or two. But we’ll have time for that.”

This is the closest he has come to promising that he will stay. Not forever, certainly, depending on what Tony will decide. He will not run off as soon as the ceremony is over, though. In fact, he is looking forward to sitting down with his best friend, to talking nonsense with Clint and sparring with Natasha. He might even be ready to try talking to Sam, although he will never admit that out loud.

“You’ll stay?” Steve asks, almost too quiet to hear, as if he is not sure he wants to know the answer.

“I’m coming home,” Bucky reassures him, although that is not quite the correct answer. _Home_ is sitting right next to him, going by the name of Tony and smiling up at him through thick lashes, a comforting presence at his side. He will go to New York, but afterwards he will return to wherever Tony is. Since he has not told anyone about Tony yet, however, he prefers to keep his answers vague enough that they do not prompt any questions he cannot yet answer.

“Thank you, Buck,” Steve says.

That is another thing Bucky regrets, that Steve stopped thinking that it is a given his best friend would come to his wedding. It turns out Bucky has a lot of apologies to make, a lot of trust to rebuild. Finally, though, he thinks he has the energy for that again.

“Don’t thank me before you’ve heard my speech.”

They laugh together and it almost feels natural, almost like before. Bucky does not even think of refusing when Steve asks him to be his best man, although he will gladly let Tony argue him into actually believing this was the right decision.

When they end the call, Bucky is unsure how to ask Tony the questions burning on his soul, but when he does, it is easier than he ever thought it would be.

_I’ll go where you go_.

And that was that. They are going back.

 

* * *

 

When they get out the first moving box, the whole house descends into chaos. It starts with Dum-E watching them and running off screaming, no doubt informing his siblings of the travesty he has witnessed. Once again, their home is in danger.

Tony merely rolls his eyes. “We shouldn’t have done this in front of the kids,” he says with a wry smile. “Now we won’t have a moment of peace.”

Bucky, however, does not regard the bots’ panic with the same ease, probably because their panic reflects his own. “You think they will be okay?”

In response, Tony brings up a camera feed from a nearby tablet, showing the three bots gathering in the garage where they promptly begin to make sure there will not be an easy access to either Bucky’s bike or Tony’s car, still thinking these are their only means of escape. He chuckles, filled with the kind of love he can each day easier admit he feels.

“Don’t worry,” he tells Bucky, “they’ll keep loving you. I’ll be the mean one who won’t build the new lab as nice as this one.” His mind already racing ahead, he adds, “Getting them access to the living quarters will be a logistic nightmare but they’re spoiled now. They won’t stay in the workshop if that’s not where we are all the time too.”

They have not yet talked about the how and where they will live in New York. For Tony there is no question that he wants to stay where Bucky is. If that is in some crappy apartment in Brooklyn, he will swallow his pride and make the best of it. If Bucky is amenable, though, he has the penthouse in the tower and a couple empty floors beneath that, ready for them to make it theirs.

Bucky turns towards him with an almost shy expression. “Are you saying you want me to move in with you?” he asks, holding out his hand for Tony to take it, shoulders dropping in relief when Tony does.

Moving in close to Bucky’s chest, Tony replies easily, “This is me saying I’ll build you the house of your dreams if that means you’ll come stay with me.”

For one who has always been afraid of being left, these words should be a struggle, opening himself up like that, but he _wants_ this, is willing to fight for it, and Bucky’s gaze makes it impossible to be anything other than honest.

“Oh, that’ll be easy,” Bucky breathes, looking at Tony with an unbelievably bright smile. “The only thing my perfect house needs is you.” With a grimace he adds, “And perhaps an extra room for the bots. There are things they shouldn’t witness, and that U shouldn’t capture on film.”

Tony laughs, feeling almost weightless with relief. “When did you turn into a romantic?” he asks, when the real questions is _How do I deserve you?_

He feels the echoing rumble of laughter moving through Bucky’s chest. “Says the guy who tells me he’ll go wherever I go at least twice a day,” he answers, sounding fond und somehow grateful, as if it is Bucky who has made a great catch here, instead of Tony. Although, maybe it is time to admit that they have both been lucky.

“Well,” Tony drawls lazily, happy to stay right where he is, “no more running apparently means no hiding from our horrible emotional selves either.”

They kiss and Tony wonders for the umpteenth time how he ended here, in Bucky’s arms, happy. For the first time in forever, he thinks of the future not as something he tries to build but as something he would not mind to let happen to him, happily awaiting what each new day holds for him. For _them_.

Organizing the move is less complicated that Tony would have thought. All it takes is one call to the company Pepper kept recommending him whenever she not so subtly tried to get him to come home. With the workshop taken care of, the rest is easily dealt with by themselves. The bots remember the drill from the last time Tony decided to leave and go about it much happier after Bucky explained to them that no one is leaving them behind, while Tony and Bucky get distracted every few minutes. It is all so very domestic that Tony can barely believe he is a part of it.

There are still traces of doubts lingering in the back of his mind, leaving him thinking that Bucky will be simply gone again when he comes up from the workshop. This leads to long working hours, just because he is afraid to _check_. But then, as if he has a sixth sense for it, Bucky comes down with coffee and a chiding smile, pulling Tony into his arms in a way that screams _I’m here_.

It remains to be seen whether the same will stay true once they are back in New York, but the way they look at each other makes Tony hopeful. Right here, with nothing to distract them, it is easy to believe in forever.

Barely a week before they are finally moving out, they sit together down in the workshop, which is the only place in the house that is not full of boxes and therefore still feels like home.

Tony is tinkering with something, while Bucky is trying to teach the bots how to play cards, which is amusing enough, especially since, every now and then, one of the bots makes a genius move that has Bucky’s features freezing in surprise, while Tony merely grins, knowing that JARVIS is making sure that his siblings do not lose too horribly.

“Do you want to invite Pepper and Rhodey?” Bucky asks out of the blue while he is shuffling cards. His tone is completely nonchalant, but there is something urgent lingering beneath the words.

Tony looks up in surprise, eyes slightly narrowed at this sudden question. “You know that it’s not polite to invite someone to other people’s parties?” he remarks dryly, biding for time in hopes to find out what brought this on.

Contrary to Bucky’s friends, Rhodey and Pepper do know about Bucky, at least the basics of Tony having found a boyfriend. He had to tell them after his little stint of misery and suddenly aborted wish to move back to New York. They would not have accepted some noncommittal answer, and while Tony is good at lying, there are things he does not want to keep from them. Especially not something this good. And, although he has made sure never to even hint at that, telling someone about his relationship with Bucky makes it all the more real, keeps him from hiding from it, makes sure he can commit to it fully.

For some reason Pepper and Rhodey believe in him, believe that he is not hopeless when it comes to living a happy life, despite so much evidence to the contrary. When he told them _I’m in love_ , they said _You can do it. Don’t you dare duck out of this because you’re afraid._

That was, naturally, after Pepper made a background check and Rhodey asked his colleagues in the Army about one Sergeant Barnes – not that they would tell him about it, but he knows them too. They take care of each other in their own ways.

“They’re your family,” Bucky points out, looking up from the cards in his hand.

Tony nods in acquiescence but then smirks. “So you want to do the whole ‘I’m back, did you miss me?’ thing together with the ‘meeting the in-laws’ thing?”

Coming back _will_ be made into a thing. The long lost Tony Stark returning to New York, to his company and his legacy. And then he is bringing a boyfriend back on top of that. Even thinking about the media circus has his head aching, but he still stands by what he told Bucky. No more hiding, no more running. He has been Tony Stark before he was allowed to be simply Tony. He can play the part again, and if it means he will be able to keep Bucky, he will do so gladly.

Bucky smiles sheepishly, then says quietly, “It’s just that you don’t know anyone there.”

Tony sighs in relief as he realizes that Bucky is simply worrying about him, wanting him to be comfortable while he sinks back into the familiar circle of his friends.

“I know you,” Tony says easily, because that is really the only thing that matters. “And I spent years entertaining people I didn’t know and, more importantly, didn’t _want_ to know. So I guess I’ll be fine.”

He means it. He has never liked that part of his life, but it is not too high a price to pay. Especially since he can see how nervous Bucky is about going back, despite knowing that everyone wants him there. If Bucky will feel better with Tony at his back, who is he to deny him that?

The bots start making noise in frustration about Bucky’s continued distractedness, so he concentrates back on their game, but still offers reassurance. “Steve and Peggy wouldn’t mind.”

Tony chuckles fondly and helps Dum-E adjust his arm so he does not display his cards to everyone around.

“You’re saying that now when you have not yet had the pleasure of listening to Pepper chewing me out. She does that a lot, since I never manage to follow her rules.”

She would hold back at the wedding, of course, but something is going to set her off sooner or later, considering that Tony’s return will mean that he has to get involved in Stark Industries’ running again, up to a certain point at least.

“I did listen to her ask about your eating habits,” Bucky reminds him, laughing when he groans. With a too-wide grin, he adds, “Then again, I agree with her every word.”

Of course, he would. He is dragging Tony regularly out of the workshop to eat something more substantial than coffee. “Traitor,” he whines, drawing out the word.

The bots chime in, although Tony consciously foregoes to ask JARVIS who they are supporting. These things, as he has found out, do not end often enough in his favour anymore.

Completely unrepentant, Bucky plays a card and says, “You did want to employ me as your personal chef.”

Huffing, Tony relieves Dum-E of his set of cards to make sure that Bucky does not win this round too. “Because your food is delicious, not because I wanted to eat regularly,” he remarks haughtily, then adds lasciviously, “also, you’re sleeping with me now, there’s no need to pay you anymore.”

 

* * *

 

As promised, the wedding is not a grand affair. Someone in Peggy’s extended group of friends – truly, one might think she is a secret agent or something because she knows someone everywhere, no matter what one needs – has agreed to let them celebrate their wedding in their garden outside the city, which offers more than enough space for their small group of close friends and family.

Tony and Bucky arrive not quite on time because the bots were inconsolable to be left behind in the still empty lab at the tower, and then they underestimated the typical New York traffic. Although Bucky being incredibly nervous might have been another reason.

He is not quite sure what to feel, seated in Tony’s car – nothing fancy, as not to raise attention before they have even arrived – wearing a beautiful suit, which Tony promised was not too expensive even though it was custom-made.

Tony looks naturally gorgeous. In fact, when he had first tried on the suit, Bucky had barely recognized him. He very much prefers the Tony he knows, in his too large MIT sweater and barefoot, but like this he looks undeniably delicious – much more inviting than the prospect of going to a wedding when he has not seen anyone there in ages.

Neither of them makes a move to get out of the car. Tony is surely waiting for him to gather his courage.

“Want us to agree on a secret sign if you need to get out of there?” Tony asks, humour in his voice but eyes serious.

Bucky laughs. “If I’m running at full speed towards the car, you are welcome to rescue me.”

He is being ridiculous, Bucky knows that, so he sneaks in a last kiss and then climbs out of the car. This is his family waiting for him. Just like Pepper, they will do all the yelling later.

Steve looks happier than Bucky has ever seen him, unable to tear his gaze away from Peggy – at least until Natasha nudges him and informs him of Bucky’s arrival. He has almost forgotten how intense the blue of Steve’s eyes can become until they are trained on him.

With one last encouraging squeeze of their combined hands, Tony tells him “Go.”

From then on, it is so very easy. It is not like he has never gone, but he still fits into their group. Steve embraces him, Clint claps his back, and Natasha kisses his cheek. Sam is somewhere in the back and looks at him searchingly before nodding at him and giving a jaunty wave. Thor is out of sight, but Bucky hears him easily over the crowd, the booming voice unmistakable.

“It’s good to have you back,” Peggy tells him seriously, throwing a meaningful look at her fiancé.

“I needed the time,” Bucky tells her, although he does not want to turn it into an argument.

She smiles. “We know. And no one holds that against you. Doesn’t mean we didn’t miss you.”

Once their first round of almost delirious greetings is over, Bucky snaps up his head, half in a panic, looking for Tony, afraid that he has already lost him somewhere. But there he is, standing a little to the side with an amused smile on his face, waiting for Bucky to make this first step on his own.

Striding over to him, Bucky holds out his hand, glad when they are holding onto each other again.

“You’re – not alone,” Steve says, hesitant, sounding like he is not yet sure whether that is a good thing, which is mostly due to the fact that Bucky has not even hinted at having met someone.

He guesses all of them are re-evaluating how much they tell each other lately. But they have time to re-establish trust now.

“How astute,” Tony drawls, maybe a tad too direct. It is somehow reassuring to realize that he is nervous too, despite the nonchalant façade. “Bucky, you didn’t tell me your friends were this smart.”

Despite himself, Bucky laughs, and even manages to keep the hysteria rising in his throat out of it. They really should have done that in private, not while everyone’s emotions are already running wild.

“Everyone, this is Tony,” Bucky says grandly, clutching Tony’s hand as tightly as he dares. “My boyfriend.”

The silence that follows is absolute if short-lived. Everyone stares. Then they all start talking at once. Peggy, at least, congratulates them, keeping her questions for later, while Natasha seems to be making concrete plans already for an interrogation.

“Your – when did that happen?” Steve asks, shocked, watching between Tony and his best friend as if they are a particularly hard puzzle to solve.

Clint, naturally, makes it all worse. “ _How_ did that happen?” he demands. His face is lit by mischief, already seeing the potential chaos this unexpected boyfriend situation offers.

Bumping Bucky’s shoulder, Tony stage whispers, “I love how much confidence they have in your social skills.”

Just like that, Bucky can breathe again. These people are his family, they do not mean him any harm. Looking down at Tony, he nods in agreement. “I bet your friends will be worse.”

“Touché,” Tony laughs. Then he turns to Bucky’s friends, ignoring the way they are standing around them in a half-circle, making it look like they are facing the inquisition. “Anyway, Bucky here brought his horribly mistreated bike to me and wanted to camp out in my yard.” He aims that specifically at Steve, Bucky is sure of that. “I invited him in, because I at least am not a savage, and then he never left.”

Well, Bucky did leave, but no one needs to know about that. The important thing is that he came back, that they are together now. What matters most is, and Bucky is amazed by how easily Tony seems to convey that point, Bucky went on this journey to find himself and he did just that as well as someone to ground him enough that he is finally ready to come back home. Without saying so, he signals that they are not a fling, that they met when Bucky was at a low point in his life and that they climbed out of that pit together.

Well, at least that is what Bucky hears. His friends still eye them with open scepticism on their faces.

“Ah, I know that look,” Tony says, undoubtedly seeing the same thing Bucky does, but he bears it with humour. “Point me towards the food and I’ll leave you to interrogate him.”

Panic floods Bucky, although he knows that it is inevitable that he will be alone with his friends at some point. The sooner that happens the easier the rest of this day will go, but he stills feels abandoned, wanting to cling to Tony and never let go.

“You don’t –” Bucky starts but gets interrupted when Clint steps forward, grinning mischievously.

“Oh yes, you should totally sample the food before everything’s gone,” he says, grabbing Bucky’s shoulder to pull them apart. “Steve’s a nervous eater and we’re having our difficulties keeping him away from it.”

 

* * *

 

As it turns out, Tony does not even make it to the buffet, before one of Bucky’s friends catches up with him. It is the short redhead, who looks like she is not only willing but also capable of taking him apart with nothing but her little finger. Natasha Romanoff, Tony remembers, who rules their group with an iron fist and always gets what she wants.

It is obvious what she wants from him: information. She already looks like she knows more than enough.

“You’re Tony Stark,” she says by way of greeting, ruining all chances for this to be an amiable chat between strangers. Her face gives nothing away, but Tony is trained well enough in the social games to recognize the hint of accusation in her tone.

“My, you’re a quick one,” Tony answers, flashing his teeth. “What gave it away? My Sexiest Man Alive looks or the billion-dollar smile?”

She has expected his answer to be flippant, to fulfil the role the press has painted of him. At the same time, she notices the hardness underlying the words. Tony has to give her credit for that. Not many people look beyond what they expect to find.

“You’re rather cynical for someone who’s supposed to be at the top of the world.” Her words are sharp, but at the same time she is prompting him to prove her first assessment of him right.

“I haven’t been for a while,” Tony says, and is almost tempted to tone down the sarcasm. “I tried the hermit life and that shifted my view of what’s important.”

At that, she straightens her shoulders almost imperceptibly, as if she expects him to lie. “And what would that be?”

He could give her the whole Tony Stark treatment. She is good at what she does, but Tony has been lying his whole life, he knows how to make people see what they want to see. If she expects him to be _Tony Stark_ , nothing would be easier than to be just that. He is not here for that, though. He is here as Bucky’s boyfriend, and if things turn out the way they want to, Tony and Natasha will see far more of each other than just this.

Time to be himself, then – which does not mean that he is not allowed to bite.

“Family,” he replies gently, smiling and waiting for her to strike.

Natasha stops walking then, expecting him to follow suit. “What do you want from Bucky?” she asks, done with playing games. Tony decides he likes her.

“Oh, is this the shovel talk? How exciting.” He goes so far as to clap his hands, looking like a child hearing that Christmas will come early this year. “I never had one before.”

Her lips pull into just the hint of a sneer. “Which is probably due to you not doing relationships.”

And here Tony thought it would be the press giving him a hard time after coming home. At least she seems to be the only one who has already realized what his last name is. Being a Stark has only ever made trouble for him. Although that is not quite right; it also allowed him to open a prosthetics program and woo Bucky by repairing his arm. Who knows whether he would have even had a chance with him otherwise.

He takes a deep breath, sounding almost like a sigh, as if he misses those times. “I see you’re talking about my philandering days,” he smirks, utterly unrepentant. His regrets are nobody’s business but his own. “Let me tell you that the people I went out with never had reason to complain _while_ I was going out with them. I didn’t make promises for forever or even the next week, and I was always upfront with that.”

Which people tended to forget as soon as he tried to go on. Not that he really wants to defend his former life style, but that does not mean he will let just anyone make him feel guilty for it either.

“Were you upfront with Bucky too?” Natasha asks, nothing innocent about her tone anymore.

“For different reasons, yes,” Tony says. Looking around, he immediately finds Bucky, surrounded by the rest of his friends, laughing. He looks gorgeous like that, wearing a suit Tony has ordered just for him. “He’s not a fling, if that’s what you’re trying to ask.”

If anything, that has her growing even shorter with him. “Then I’ll repeat myself: What do you want from him?”

Tony begins to get annoyed with her, wondering how he will deal with her without starting the kind of feud that will make future family meetings awkward.

“Right now?” Tony asks sweetly, leering in Bucky’s direction. “I couldn’t tell you, because I’ve sworn to behave myself, and talking about it would mean thinking about it, and that would sooner rather than later push me into _doing_ it, and I’ve heard there are children present.”

Natasha grits her teeth, but he is past being amused by her. “I’m not joking, Stark.”

And that, Tony decides, is enough. It is nice of her to be looking out for her friend, but Tony did not come here to be attacked. He has not made assumptions about Bucky’s friends even though he only met Bucky because he was running away from them.

“Neither am I, Ms. Romanoff,” Tony says, looking for the first time since coming here like a man of power. It is a persona that is rather easy to slip into, if only because things go much smoother if he seems like he will not give anyone a choice but to give him what he wants. “If it will put your mind at ease, I can tell you that I love Bucky, and that I wouldn’t have come back to New York and given up my very comfortable life in anonymity for someone I didn’t want to get my happily ever after with.”

Taking a step forward, Natasha adopts a warning tone. “If you hurt him –”

Tony is amused when she trails off, as if he is someone intimidated by pregnant pauses, especially considering that she _could_ physically hurt him if she were so inclined. He does not let any of that show on his face, however. There is a battle to win first.

“People hurt each other,” Tony says, leaving no room for argument. “We’ve done so before and we will do so again. I don’t owe you any promises or explanations. I want Bucky and I to last, to have a future together, but I won’t force anything if we stop making each other happy.” He shrugs. It is not his task to explain the course of the world to her. “That’s not the point of love. It’s nice of you to be invested in Bucky’s well-being, but I would appreciate it, if you didn’t build that on threatening me.”

Despite it being the intention of his little speech, Tony is surprised when Natasha backs down. Her entire posture loosens somehow, making her look like she is less inclined to start an altercation now. For once, Tony must have found the right words, although he is still a bit miffed at having needed to in the first place.

“You’re different than I thought you’d be,” Natasha says, voicing it almost like an apology. He is sure he will never hear the words _I’m sorry_ cross over her lips, but he can be content with what he has.

Tony puts on his most charming smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

As expected, she narrows her eyes at him, purses her lips. “We’ll see whether that’s warranted.”

Time for the final round, then. “You don’t know anything about me, Ms. Romanoff,” Tony wards her off. He likes the way her name feels on his tongue, and more how she reacts to it, almost minutely but undeniably there. She has never introduced herself, but he knows who she is, knows who all of them are. She had better not forget that.

“And if you’re inclined to believe the gossip sections of tabloids from several years ago, then I’m not going to go out of my way to prove you wrong.” Glancing down at his fingernails before fixing her with an intense stare, Tony continues, “Frankly, I’ve outgrown catering to other people’s expectations.”

That is almost more honesty than she deserves, but Tony is still interested in not making an enemy here. Natasha looks alert if not in the least mollified. Since he can never say no to the little devil riding on his shoulder, though, he adds cheekily, “I heard Bucky was quite the heartbreaker himself, back in the day.”

“Who told you that?” she almost spits, glancing in the direction of her friends as if she is wondering whether any of them new about Bucky’s dalliance without telling the rest of them.

“Bucky, of course,” Tony admits, wondering whether he should admit to knowing more about her and the rest of their group than she is likely comfortable with, considering the way she is looking at him. “Today’s the first time I’ve met any of his friends.”

“He changed,” Natasha says in a dismissive tone, almost setting Tony off laughing.

As usual, he is being held to a different standard than everybody else. Bucky can grow serious about relationships but Tony fucking Stark cannot. Typical.

“My,” he drawls, “I didn’t know people actually do that.”

Curiously enough, that is what makes her relax, finally. “Sarcasm isn’t really proof of a good character,” she quips, and gestures towards the buffet as an invitation to walk with her.

“And yet you enjoy it.” When she is like this, Tony thinks he might see what Bucky likes about her. Maybe he will come to appreciate it too. “Don’t deny it,” he adds when she rises an eyebrow at him. “You can pull your professional spy face all you want, but I saw your lips twitching. You wanted to smile, just admit it.”

“In your dreams,” she counters easily, but now she does smile, small and not quite open, but obvious.

“I’m having a great many dreams lately, but you don’t feature in any of them,” Tony jokes, his tone fake-apologetic. Then he waves at her whole body, grimacing despite the fact that she looks beautiful. “Too many flesh-and-blood limbs, too little robot-charm.”

Given half a day, Tony estimates, he could get her to laugh. A full-belly laugh, nothing fake about it.

They move on to less problematic topics as they raid the buffet, and while Tony still wonders whether they have established a schedule and an order in which they are going to interrogate him and she has to keep an eye on him until the next of her friends arrives, Bucky catches up to them, slightly out of breath.

“Everything all right here?” he asks, not believing Natasha’s innocent expression even for a minute.

Tony relishes the chance to be close to Bucky again, moving to his side where he fits like they were made for each other. “Don’t worry,” he says, pointing at Natasha with a piece of cake before he feeds it to Bucky. “You have delightfully protective friends.”

Bucky looks from one of them to the other for a long moment, before he obviously decides that Tony is old enough to take care of himself, for he then shrugs. “From what I’ve heard, your friends won’t be far behind.”

Laughing freely, Tony nods his head. If Natasha is the worst Bucky’s friends have to offer, then Bucky definitely got the worse end of the deal. “There’s no shame in being afraid of Pepper,” he announces cheerfully. “I am. Everyone is, really.”

And he could not be happier about having friends like that.

 

* * *

 

The ceremony is beautiful. As the plus one of the best man, Tony has been seated in the front row, and all Bucky can do during the whole thing is watch him. Peggy and Steve are radiant beside him, their vows are heartbreakingly beautiful, and still he has only eyes for Tony, wishing he could be alone with him.

While his friends kiss and the audience bursts into applause, Bucky imagines himself and Tony in their places. It is too soon for any thoughts of that kind, but he can already imagine how wonderful it would be. The bots would have to be the ones to strew the flowers and bear the ring, of course, and they would make sure that everything would descend into chaos, but Tony and he could simply use that to slip away and let everybody else deal with it.

It is perhaps uncharitable to not pay close attention but he is happy for Steve and Peggy, and he is glad he _can_ be happy for them. Without Tony, without knowing that he looks at someone the same way his best friend looks at his wife, he is not so sure he could.

How far he has come, how unimaginable that bitterness now is that he carried with him for such a long time.

Once everyone has made their speeches and the bridal couple begins their first dance, Bucky leaves the celebration as quietly as he can, in dire need of a quiet place to breathe. Coming home was the right decision, he knows that, but it still feels overwhelming. After months, over a year really, of being either alone or with Tony and the bots, dealing with these many people is simply exhausting.

When he hears steps coming closer, he feels first annoyed, but when he looks up and finds it is Tony, he opens his arms in invitation. Without slowing down, Tony lets himself be drawn into Bucky’s embrace. For long minutes they sit there, just holding each other close.

“You want me to talk?” Tony naturally notices that Bucky is in some kind of distress but instead of asking what is wrong, instead of making a thing out of it, he simply offers to draw him out of it, giving him something to listen to other than his spiralling thoughts. It does not matter that Bucky is not having a panic attack or is not waking up after a nightmare. Tony understands that one’s worst enemy sometimes is one’s own mind. He has been there before.

Bucky nods. It is only a minute movement but Tony might not have needed even that. They have become rather well at reading each other over the past months.

“Clint’s offered me champagne,” Tony says offhandedly. “Probably thought I’d be easier to interrogate while drunk. I guess they have all read about my shenanigans before I disappeared. You should have seen his face when I told him I don’t drink anymore. Sheer disappointment. It was hilarious.”

Tony shifts his position so that he can draw circles on Bucky’s back, fingers moving right in tact with his words.

“One of the flower girls, Sharon, I think, told me she is going to become a spy when she’s grown up. I saw her disappearing somewhere with Natasha. Maybe we should tell Peggy to keep an eye on her niece, lest we have two assassins in the family.

“That reminds me, isn’t only the bridal couple supposed to smash old dishes for luck? Because I could swear I just saw Thor throwing glasses at the bartender. That one has an impressive voice.”

Without ever showing signs of getting tired, Tony talks and talks, reports small things he has seen and quotes conversations he has had. Even thinking about people having told him to shut up or that he talks too much makes Bucky angry. Tony has such a nice voice, never failing to calm him down.

When Bucky straightens and smiles, Tony finishes his current story and then falls silent, waiting for Bucky to begin a conversation if he wants to. This simple kindness has tears burning in Bucky’s eyes. The emotional load of this day simply is too much.

Tony sits up with a worried expression. “Are you crying?” he asks, sounding like he is immediately going to jump to action and do whatever Bucky asks of him if that will make him feel better.

“Shush you,” Bucky says, wiping uselessly at his eyes. “This was my best friend getting married.” He is fishing for something to say, but this, at least, is true. “If you’d known him as an asthmatic, skinny kid, throwing himself from one spot of trouble into the next, you’d be crying too. I never thought he’d even make it to this age, much less get over his embarrassing awkwardness about anything involving women.”

This is not the only reason why he has snuck away from the party, much less the most pressing, but Tony does not call him out on it. He probably understands him without needing to talk about it, this sheer, overwhelming sense of coming home.

“You are such a sap,” Tony pipes up. Accepting the new direction of their talk easily, he then adds in a conversational tone, “I’m pretty sure I heard one of the bridesmaids say that Peggy proposed.”

It helps. “Peggy made every single first step in this relationship,” Bucky chuckles, feeling how the weight slowly slides off his shoulders. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be proud of Steve for finally getting with the program.”

“She looks like she knows how to manage him,” Tony says cheekily, and Bucky cannot argue with that.

Sighing, Bucky listens for the harmony of music and cheerful conversation. “Do you think we’ll have to stay for much longer?” He lets the question slip before he can think better of it.

It is unfair to think of Steve’s wedding as something to escape, but he is so tired, he can barely imagine getting his feet to move again any time this night.

“Well, all official points are crossed off the agenda,” Tony says, naturally treating his questions seriously. “You’ve done your duty as best man. You held Steve’s hand, delivered your speech. They are now responsible for each other, which means you’re free to go whenever you want.”

“They might hold it against me,” Bucky argues, unbelievably glad when Tony does not hesitate to shake his head.

“You’ve come home to them,” he explains as if it is truly that simple. “You even brought a mysterious boyfriend for them to gossip about. Believe me when I say that you can’t do anything wrong tonight.”

When Bucky takes too long to answer, Tony gets to his feet and holds out his hand for him. “Do you want me to bring the car around?”

“Yes,” Bucky breathes, letting himself be pulled up and towards Tony, meeting the readily offered lips with a kiss. “Please.”

“Then go say goodbye. And give them my best.” Tony smiles, already looking somewhat fond. “And tell Natasha I’ll take care of you. If she thinks otherwise she might poison my coffee, and that is too cruel a way to go.”

Bolstered with new energy, Bucky leaves to make a last round among his friends. He makes promises to not disappear again, and plans for brunch later that week. He is relieved when Natasha smiles upon receiving special greeting from Tony. Maybe things will really turn out all right. Maybe this life will become normal again.

Still, he is more than relieved to get into the car with Tony, speeding off towards the tower, which already feels like home if only because it fits Tony in a way completely different to how the garage did.

“You can’t believe how glad I am to be out of there.”

For a moment, Bucky thinks it is him who has spoken, but then he looks up to see Tony’s slightly guilty expression, and immediately sits straighter.

“That bad?” he asks, hearing himself how frantic he sounds. “You should have said something.”

The only reason Bucky got through this day, was because Tony was at his side. Not once has he given the impression of feeling burdened by the whole thing himself, and Bucky had been blind enough to believe him. He is sure that was for his benefit, but he does not want Tony to carry both their burden, not even for the short time until Bucky has acclimatized himself again.

“Don’t look like that,” Tony chides gently, keeping his eyes on the street. “It’s been years since I played the social game. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

They both are, but they are going home now, and that is the most enticing thought Bucky has had all day.

“We could have left earlier,” Bucky says nonetheless, just to make clear that he would have let everything drop, even in the middle of the ceremony, if Tony had needed to leave.

“It was your best friend’s wedding,” Tony says, although something in his tone makes it clear that he has understood the subtext of Bucky’s answer. “You were happy and that makes me happy.”

Unable to help himself, Bucky laughs, filled with the same intense feeling as he was while looking down at Tony during the ceremony. “And you called me a sap earlier.”

Humming his approval, Tony says, “You’re _my_ sap.”

He sounds content enough, but Bucky knows how good an actor Tony is, even though he has not used this on Bucky ever since driving him out of his home with it. Still, Bucky needs to ask, “Do you regret coming back?”

Tony takes his time to answer, which Bucky is glad for.

“The real nastiness hasn’t even begun yet,” he then says, hinting at the press and reclaiming his place in Stark Industries. “But no, I don’t. As much as I liked having you all to myself, we were always going to come back at some point.” Smiling, Tony glances at Bucky, showing off the emotions pooling in his eyes. “I’m glad it was now. With you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> As you might have noticed, this one started shortly before the end of StBMH, so if you haven't read that and wonder why they don't have a talk about going home, they do in StBMH's last chapter. 
> 
> I hope you liked this. I'd love to hear your thoughts.  
> Thank you for reading!


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